Psychological Interpretation of Racism in Invisible Man, “Prologue” by Ralph Ellison

“Prologue” by Ralph Ellison

Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man does not only remark racism towards non-white people but also it indicates the psychological status of these people because of the racist attitude. Through the book, the reader sees pieces of the life of persona and his feelings. The begging of the book reflects the humiliation of his presence. He sees himself as an “invisible man”. Also, he talks about “haunted Edgar Allan Poe” and says that "he is not haunted like him but in a way, his soul is haunted, captured and ghosted by society".

When he bumped into a white man, he has to apologize from him but later on, the narration of dark murderous scene shows his psychological crises because as a black man, he needs to somehow upper-hand the white people to prove his existence, so this creates a pressure upon him. “The next day I saw his picture in the Daily News, beneath a caption stating that he had been ‘mugged.’ Poor fool, poor blind fool, I thought with sincere compassion, mugged by an invisible man” (Ellison, 191).

In addition, he describes his home as hole but he describes it as shiny, light and warm place. It may be assumed that he says that because he wants to prove that although he is not a white, he can he live in light. “My hole is warm and full of light. Yes, full of light” (Ellison, 192). Besides, he is fighting with Monopolated Light & Power in a psychological way because it feels him alive. So, there is a conflict and fight between light and dark and it goes on to the end. For instance, “The truth is the light and light is the truth” (Ellison, 193).

This dominant culture’s assumption forces him to be the truth and the reader can observe his confusion about light and the conflict though the dialogue of old woman and the persona. While she is hating her master, she gets pregnant from him, so it may be claimed that her master raped her. Later she says that she loves her master. Rape and hate is associated with dark but baby and love is associated with light. In this context, dark gives birth to light and upper-hand it. Also, while she is moaning (dark) because of the murder of master, the laughs (light) of her son dominate her grief, so light cannot be the whole truth because it emerges from dark.

In addition, when the thing becomes to understand the concept of freedom, persona and old woman cannot give meaning and they both confused the truth of light. It may be assumed that the conflict represents their mental position and feelings. Also, the lyrics of Louis Armstrong’s song demonstrates his feelings. Through the end, the persona considers taking drugs to forget the sense of time and his existence because people do not recognize him, so he does not believe his existence anymore. Being marked by society causes existential crises and hysteria. In the end, he admits that he was a coward and he tries to bear and continues to question his skin color or being.